The Franchise Killers

In nine seasons as the star QB of the Lions, Layne led Detroit to three NFL Championships. Since departing in 1958, the Lions have been victorious in the playoffs on one single occasion.

Photos: Getty Images

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Milwaukee Bucks

As Lew Alcindor, he led the Bucks to the Finals twice—and to the title in 1971. After trading him to the Lakers in 1975, he won five more rings in L.A., while the Bucks failed to get back to the championship series.

Photos: Getty Images

Wilt Chamberlain, Philadelphia 76ers

Losing Wilt to the Lakers in 1968 (after winning the title in '67) sent the Sirs into a freefall—bottoming out during the 1972-73 season when the team finished 9-73 (the worst winning percentage in the history of the league). They wouldn't recover fully until the ABA/NBA merger and the acquisition of Dr. J.

Photos: Getty Images

Charles Barkley, Philadelphia 76ers

He screwed the Sirs, too! After losing Sir Charles to the Suns, Philadelphia failed to finish above .400 for six seasons.

Photos: Getty Images

Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves

One of the first things Garnett did when he won his title in 2008 was thank the fans back in Minnesota—but on account of the hardware and the $22 mil for the '07-'08 (he was the highest paid player that year) you could tell that he wasn't too bummed about the trade to Boston. He led the T-Wolves to the playoffs eight years in a row; they haven't finished above .300 since he left.

Photos: Getty Images

Alex Rodriguez, Texas Rangers

A-Rod's contract was so absurdly large—and the rest of the payroll so poorly managed—that it crippled the Rangers for years. In fact, the team just filed for bankruptcy… and they're in first place.

Photos: Getty Images

Clyde Drexler, Portland Trail Blazers

Clyde the Glide helped make the Blazers a perennial favorite, but he had to get traded to Houston to win his title. Now, Portland's face of the franchise is Greg Oden—a guy who's now better known for what he produces in his bathroom, via cellphone camera, than for what he produces on the court.

Photos: Getty Images

Babe Ruth, Boston Red Sox

Six seasons with the Bo-Sox, three World Series titles, and then a memorable move to the Yankees—putting into effect the Curse of the Bambino.

Photos: Getty Images

Pete Rose, Cincinnati Reds

Baseball's all-time hits leader played in four World Series (and won two) with The Big Red Machine. But after leaving for Philadelphia in 1979 to become that moment's highest-paid athlete in baseball, Cincinnati never really recovered—and, don't worry, we're including in that statement the six seasons he returned to play for, manage… and bet on his team.

Photos: Getty Images

Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls

Jordan wins three championships in three years from 1991-1993. He then leaves to play baseball and the Bulls win zero championships in two years. He then returns and wins three championships in three years from 1996-1998. Then he leaves again, the Bulls proceed to win 13 games during the 1998-1999 season, and we all confirm our hypothesis that he had something to do with the success of that franchise.

Photos: Getty Images

Julius Erving, New York Nets

When the ABA merged with the NBA after the 1976 season, the ABA's best player—Dr. J—left the New York Nets to join the Philadelphia 76ers after the Knicks demanded that the Nets pay them $4.8 million for the right to compete in the same territory. Dr. J needed more than the Nets could shell out, and so it would be with the 76ers that he'd become one of the new league's best players, too.

Photos: Getty Images

Shaquille O'Neal, Orlando Magic

After leading the team that reared him to the NBA Finals in 1995 and the Eastern Conference Finals in 1996, Shaq bolted for the West Coast for the big bucks and, ultimately, back-to-back-to-back championships. The Magic wouldn't advance past the first round of the playoffs again for 12 years.

Photos: Getty Images

Wayne Gretzky, Edmonton Oilers

Two hours after the 27-year-old Gretzky won his fourth Stanley Cup in five years, he learned that the 1987-88 season would be his last with the Oilers. Sure, Edmonton won the Cup two years later, but they've only returned to the Finals once since then—never quite recovering from letting go of the best hockey player who's ever lived.

Photos: Getty Images

Barry Bonds, Pittsburgh Pirates

When Bonds failed to gun down the Braves' Sid Bream in the last frame of Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS, it marked the end of the season for the Pirates (their third straight NLCS defeat), the departure of Bonds to the Giants, and the beginning of Pittsburgh's streak of 17 straight losing seasons.

The Franchise Killers

LeBron is off to Miami, leaving the Cavs and the poor city of Cleveland to drown in his wake. Here are fourteen other players who—for big bucks or unfettered glory or… a minor-league baseball career—ditched their teams, and as a result, forced their former franchises onto the (very) slow road to recovery